Setting up a beginners shop

Will Batayte

Will Batayte

Joined
Jan 8, 2007
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640
Ok so since I can remember I've always had a fascination with everything knife related and I knew from an early age I wanted to design and make knives. Now I'm at a place financially, and I have the space required, to begin building a shop. I'll be taking some classes soon but I want to begin acquiring my tools. I have plenty of room, and enough money to buy what I need. So what are the must have tools I should begin getting. I know that there are often hand versions that are cheaper. But I intend to get all the power tools I need. I know myself and I like to get things done as efficiently as possible. If I can use a belt grinder to quickly finish something that would take 3 hours with a file there's no way I'm going to want to waste the time filing. I'd rather just invest the money and get the right tools to work efficiently. I also want to set up a forge. So to set up a complete shop with everything I'll need to forge and finish fixed blades what are the major tools required.
 
OK, major tools.
belt grinder, drill press, files, bandsaw, clamps, sandpaper from 80 grit to 1000, pins, paracord, anvil, hammers, and of course, the forge. as far as money goes, do you have 10k to blow on this, or are you thinking 1000ish?

as far as the forge goes, you can buy them premade, and they might work better and will take less time, but if you make them yourself, then you can make them how you want them. what size of blades are you looking to forge? 2 foot katanas or 4 inch overall neckers? that will seriously change the configuration of the forge.
 
I started out with nothing more than some files, hacksaw, hand drill, small hand grinder, and a desire to make a knife. For my forge I dug a hole in the ground used an old vacuum cleaner exhaust for forced air, charcoal, and all but burned my hard earned blade up. My second attempt turned out much better using some bought 1080 steel. Heat treat was again done in a ground pit forge and tempering was done in wife's oven. The point I am trying to make is you don't need many tools to make a good knife, just some imagination, and a desire to make one.
If you already know that your in this for the long haul then look into some of the homemade grinders available. Again with a little imagination, hard work, and looking for deals you can have a pretty decent grinder for under 500.00.
Then buy a small bench top drill press. Some belts for your grinder, sandpaper, a few files, a rasp or two, clamps, some good 1080 steel, and your ready to go for well under a thousand bucks.
You can send you blades out for heat treating to begin with. 1080 is very forgiving, it can be heat treated with a good torch or like I did mine if you want to do it yourself.
 
Start simple. Add tools as you find that you need them. I would saw get a little drill press before anything else. I've been beating on a little $90 craftsman for about 7 years now.

Wayne
 
Thanks guys, I've got enough to get pretty much whatever I need. But that doesn't mean I intend to just go nuts buying everything in sight. Basically I'll pick my tools along the lines of getting the most economical model capable of doing what I need well. I tend to research the hell out of any large purchase and make sure I pick the most cost effective while still fitting my needs option.
 
Where would I find a homemade grinder?

As far as what I'm interested in making, to start simple fixed blades. Probably a lot of large Bowies 12" blades or so. Once I get good at that I'd love to try my hand with swords, axes, and folders. I have no illusions that I'll be able to jump right into really complicated stuff right away. I do have a decent background working with my hands. My father was an award winning woodworker and I've done quite a bit myself. Transitioning to steel should be interesting.
 
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coldblooded357 said:
Where would I find a homemade grinder?

As far as what I'm interested in making, to start simple fixed blades. Probably a lot of large Bowies 12" blades or so. Once I get good at that I'd love to try my hand with swords, axes, and folders. I have no illusions that I'll be able to jump right into really complicated stuff right away. I do have a decent background working with my hands. My father was an award winning woodworker and I've done quite a bit myself. Transitioning to steel should be interesting.
Click to expand...


A home made grinder? - You make it yourself- at home...

Read this post and you will find it will help you.

there are free plans and kits available listed under DIY grinders.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ng.......Where-to-begin?p=9779675#post9779675
 
Developing your processes and finding the right tooling to perform them efficiently is really a long-term thing, and may change direction completely when you decide you want to make this or that kind of knife.
I would start with a drill press, bandsaw, grinder, forge, anvil, tongs, basically all the obvious stuff, then add a piece of equipment as you find a need for it. Folder making is probably the most tool-intensive aspect that you mentioned, and you can expect to want a small milling machine and surface grinder if you get to that point. If you stick with fixed blades for awhile, you can put those off. If you go towards traditional forged pieces you might decide, like some have, that a file fits your style better than a grinder.

My advice is to let your muse dictate what tools you need, instead of letting your tools dictate what your muse is capable of.
 
You can make folders without a mill or surface grinder.
A mill is a handy shop tool, though.
You'll need a bench vise, buffer(s), torch.
 
Thanks for all the replys guys. There are quite a lot of choices when it comes to tools. When it comes to the forge I'll probably want to buy a ready made version. Are there any "must have" features to look for when choosing a grinder, press, and forge? Are there any particular models out there that are considered "the go to model for beginners"?

Also how about making handles? I would imagine a scroll or band saw would come in quite handy. At first I could always go integral and cord wrap.

What I'm really interested in making is fighting Bowies. Iron quillion style guards. Light and fast moving.
 
A couple things, fill out your profile so we know where you are. I'd recommend visiting an established maker to see what his setup is like. Also, each of these recommendations of mine are somewhat generic. I'd research each item thoroughly before buying.... For example, you could do a thread on Disc grinders alone, and read dozens of old threads and its take you 20 hours to decide on which disc grinder you want....

Tools...

Belt Grinder > 2"x72" with a VFD to control speed. I'd get a KMG, WIlmont, or, if you are handy, a GIB from Polar Bear Forge, or a No-Weld grinder and build your own. If you are serious about being in it for the long haul, and money isn't an issue, I'd personally recommend a TW-90 from Travis Wuertz. It is a vertical and horizontal grinder in one, AND he now has a surface grinder attachment....But, with the surface grinder attachment you're looking at 4 grand..ish... Salem's links that Count posted were very helpful to me When I was deciding on mine.

Disc Grinder. 9" w/VFD. I'd make a bracket to allow you to move it from horizontal to vertical, it's run it off a VFD for variable speed and reversing....
http://www.nielsendesigndiscgrinder.com/Welcome.html
You can run a set up like this from Rob. Actually, Wayne Coe is an authorized dealer for Rob, and is a great resource for building disc grinders and belt grinders.

If you'll be forging, I have no experience with pre made forges, but I'd lean towards a 2 burner blown forge and I'd add a PID controller with low and high fire like Bladsmith(Stacy) has detailed in a sticky on the top of the main page...

Anvils, I have a 129# Kohlswa. It's great, I'd rather have one 200 pounds after using it a bit. If you have a lot of money, a Nimba is a great new anvil, or older Fisher, Peter Wright etc.

Hammers and tongs, Hardy tools for the anvil....

Band saw, a metal cutting saw.... I use a porta band saw. Lot's of guys do, it saves a few dollars.

Drill Press... Full size free standing with variable speeds. If you have the money, get a full size Mill, like a Bridgeport, you'll use it to mill the slots on guards etc......and a million other things. You could also get a High Torque Mini Mill, like a Sherline and a drill press and skip the full size mill.

If you do your own heat treat, I'd get an Evenheat, or other similar PID controlled Knifekiln... Simple steels like 1084, 1095 need good heat control, but could be done in the forge. I don't work with them, but other steels like D2 I believe need a programmable kiln for the proper soak times and temps...

Quench medium... Depending on steels, Parks AAA, Parks 50. And a good quench tank.

Respirator. Protect your lungs. Metal dust, wood dust, plastic dust, not good. OSHA recommends respirators shouldn't be the primary protection. Dust control, environmental control is supposed to be the primary safety control, so.... invest in a good dust collection system.. Research the proper way to design and build it. Hot sparks start fires, static electricity can also be a problem in dust collection systems...
Full face respirators require a Dr Exam to determine if you are fit enough to use one...

Here's a start. Good luck!
 
Thanks again fellas, i bookmarked all the links and am starting to go through everything. Its just a matter of time to do all the research. Ive updated my profile to show my location. Strange, i could've sworn id done that already. I let my gold membership expire, maybe it reset when that happened, my avatar is gone. I've got to renew it, just haven't gotten around to it yet. So as you can now see I'm in hartford CT. I actually posted a while back trying to locate makers in the area to see if anyone would take on an aprentice in exchange for free labor. Unfortunately no replies :(. I have found a maker in NY who offers classes which i intend to take but each one is only three days long so what i can learn will be somewhat limited by time. Honestly i think i could use three days up just asking questions lol. Anyway everything has been very helpfull so far. I can't wait to get set up and start.
 
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coldblooded357 said:
Thanks again fellas, i bookmarked all the links and am starting to go through everything. Its just a matter of time to do all the research. Ive updated my profile to show my location. Strange, i could've sworn id done that already. I let my gold membership expire, maybe it reset when that happened, my avatar is gone. I've got to renew it, just haven't gotten around to it yet. So as you can now see I'm in hartford CT. I actually posted a while back trying to locate makers in the area to see if anyone would take on an aprentice in exchange for free labor. Unfortunately no replies :(. I have found a maker in NY who offers classes which i intend to take but each one is only three days long so what i can learn will be somewhat limited by time. Honestly i think i could use three days up just asking questions lol. Anyway everything has been very helpfull so far. I can't wait to get set up and start.
Click to expand...

INDIAN GEORGE!!!! He's in New Bedford MA.... He has hammer ins etc.... Google him..
 
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